Previously, I always made overseas call to Thailand and Singapore using my mobile phone. My mobile phone bill used to cause hundreds of ringgit whenever I need to call overseas often. Someone had told me about overseas IDD call card but that time, I was too lazy to learn up the steps- and that really cost me. But when I was in Thailand, I had to call back home to Malaysia very often and bought overseas call card from there. It was then I realised that a lot of savings could be done using overseas call card.
I bought my first IDD card- i Talk. You can buy the card in denominations of RM30 or RM50 from either stationery shops or shops selling mobile phone top up cards. All I needed to do is to dial toll free 1800 87 3535 and follow the instruction. As i Talk is owned by Telekom, it is better to activate a fixed line and call from there. Once you follow the instruction on the IDD card and activate from a Telekom fixed line, each time when you want to call overseas, all you need to do is to dial 1800 87 35 35- the voice mail will read out your IDD card balance and ask you to dial the destination number. After you dial the destination number, it will notify you how long you still have left to talk. I spend about RM4 for more than 40 min of chit chat with my ex roomate who is staying in Singapore. But the call rates to Thailand is more expensive than to Singapore. A RM30 iTalk card gives you a total talktime of 5 hours and 20 seconds if you call a Singapore handphone.
Aside from i-Talk card, the MCN direct card (www.mcnenterprise.com) is also good- this card was recommended by my mom’s friend as she has a daughter who is staying in US. She said the call rates of this card is by far the cheapest. When I bought the MCN card, I was also told that the MCN card had no shelf expiry date so long as we do not activate the pin number(meaning use the card). But iTalk card has an expiry date.
Therefore, the next time you want to call overseas, buy an IDD card. It will save a lot of money.
Tagged as:
calls,
handphone,
money,
singapore,
Thailand,
Travel
by Yin on October 23, 2008
The obvious route will be by airplane. But I will like to share with you another 2 routes on how to travel from Bangkok (capital of Thailand) to Kuala Lumpur (capital of Malaysia). Distance: about 1200km.
1. The easiest route- by plane
To get from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, you can take a 2 hour flight from Suvarnabhumi airport. Normally budget travellers will use Air Asia- it is a very popular choice in Malaysia and tickets can easily be booked online. If you plan your trip early, you can get very low fare tickets. Bear in mind that even though you get free air fare, you will need to pay about somewhere 1500 baht (one way) for the price of fuel surcharge and airport tax. Still, if you managed to get free air fare or low air fare, the price will be almost the same as the 2 routes below. If you book late, the full fare (one way) could range about 3000 to 5000 baht.
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Tagged as:
airplane,
bangkok,
bus,
kuala lumpur,
Thailand,
train,
Travel
UPDATE: Jan 2012: Please note that Puduraya is renovated and now have bus going north and to Hatyai.
Read my related article on Puduraya’s new makeover- the new place is impressive.
Puduraya is the bus station located near Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur. As you go into Puduraya and approached the bus ticket counters, you will see many people coming to you asking where you wanna go, etc. You can get to Puduraya via the Star LRT to Plaza Rakyat station. Alternatively, if you take the Putra LRT, you can stop at Pasar Seni or Masjek Jamek station and walk there.
Visit thailand.yinteing.com
I went to Puduraya to purchase a pair of bus tickets to Hat Yai and I was approached by many ticket sellers. Initially I was confused as I am not familiar with buying tickets up to Hat Yai. After going around a few booths to ask with the Indonesian ladies telling me that the buses are super good, etc but could not answer some questions that I’ve had, I decided to stick to Konsortium.
In case you do not know, Konsortium Bas Express Semenanjung (M) SB consists of the signature red buses. No doubt, in Jan 08, Konsortium came under the headlines after one of its bus drivers had 13 outstanding summonses and caused 3 passengers to be killed. However, a check with a seasonal traveller friend of mine said that the buses are ok.
One thing when you buy bus tickets in Puduraya, look out for counters selling computerised and not manual tickets. Bus counters such as Transnational, Plusliner (Plusliner buses are known to be punctual) and Konsortium will issue computerised tickets with valid platform and they use their own buses. They are also not concerned if their tickets are sold out or not- they will stick to the journey using their own buses. Konsortium have their special 18 Snoozer seater (instead of the normal 21 Super VIP seater) which are very comfortable- ask for these buses if you are travelling overnight- it’s only slightly expensive (Super VIP= RM40, Snoozer= RM50).
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Tagged as:
bangkok,
bus,
hatyai,
konsortium,
kuala lumpur,
Thailand
In May 08, I drove down to Malacca for a visit. Actually, it was my first time driving down there. The other times I was there, I had travelled via bus with a group of people- that was years ago. And I cannot remember the direction, except that I’ve stayed in Equitorial Hotel.
For a first time drive, it was relatively easy to locate the place. I went with my mom and another friend. I was told to exit the North South Highway via Ayer Keroh. After paying the toll, just drive straight and follow the signboard that states “Pusat Bandaraya” (town center). After which, I reached the red colour historial buildings whereby the Christ Church Melaka (since 1753) and the A Famosa fort are located.
As I reached the roundabout with the Church on my left, I turned right where I could see OCBC bank. Through one of the smaller roads, I was able to find a parking. One thing you must remember is that Malacca uses the parking coupon display system- you can buy the parking coupons at any shops that sells them (there are signboads that indicate the shop sells them). The parking cost RM0.60 per hour. The parking coupons are sold at the pack of RM3 (5 pieces of 60 sen each).
After parking, my mom and I walked past the roundabout to the Christ Church. Mom decided not to visit the fort (as it requires a hike up), so we detoured to Jonkers Street that is located nearby (when you see OCBC bank on your left and a restaurant on your right, you walk straight and you will reach Jonkers Street (the picture on your right is a signboard located at the roundabout that shows the distance of Malacca to other towns in Malaysia and all over the world).
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Tagged as:
driving,
malacca,
malaysia,
Travel
